Not By A Long Shot
by Stormwake
Summary: Grace continues her journey in the world of POTC. Can she brave the perils of the Flying Dutchman? Is there more to this than meets the eye? Sequel to Wish Upon A Star. Still no OC pairings. Will be revised when AWE comes out.
1. Arrested

Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean or any other copyrighted material in here. If I did, I would be a millionaire and have better things to do than right fanfiction.

Summary: Grace continues her journey in the world of POTC. Can she brave the perils of the Flying Dutchman? Maybe all is not as it seems, and she's actually caught in the center of a bigger picture…

Special Thanks: To NarnianPirate, Lily Evanstar and Koneko the demon storyteller; For taking time to help me find a DMC script. Thank you!

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Grace awoke with a start. For the past month, she had been a guest in the Turner household. It had been the best month of her life. She had taught Elizabeth how to play the old piano in the upstairs study and in turn, Will let her take part in his daily training, which he had cut down to only an hour. On top of that, she had even taught herself how to play the little silver flute Will had made for her. She felt like one of a family, something she had always wanted. But she knew that on that very day, the peaceful life she had led would be put on an abrupt hold.

The wedding was in about an hour and she thought about putting on her bridesmaid dress, but decided against it. How Elizabeth was ever able to get around in that dress of hers was a mystery. With a tinge of regret, she put on her broken in leather boots, some brown breeches, a tan shirt and a navy blue overcoat, since it could get a little chilly at night, especially on the water. The outfit seemed extremely comfortable compared to the dresses Elizabeth had her wearing. She grabbed her bag that she had packed the night before and spoke to the mahogany box that was hidden inside it. "You're either going save my life, or get me into some real deep trouble and I'm not about to stop and think about which one it's going to be." Having said that, she went downstairs, grabbed an umbrella and walked the short distance to the wedding pavilion in the downpour.

"Elizabeth?" Grace hesitantly walked up to the would-be-bride and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine." Before she could reply, a whole army of Redcoats arrived and after seeing Will, she ran up to the group, Grace trailing behind her.

"Will! Why is this happening?"

"I don't know, but you look beautiful."

"I think it's bad luck to see the groom before the wedding."

Grace interrupted their moment and motioned towards Beckett. "Elizabeth, I think that's the least of your worries right about now." Just then, the Governor pushed through the crowd.

"What's going on here? Why have you arrested William? How can you ruin my daughter's wedding? Where…" He broke off his string of questions and stared at the approaching figure.

"Governor Weatherby Swann, it's been too long."

"Cutler Beckett?"

"It's Lord now, actually."

Grace went to stand by Will. "Lord or no Lord, you need a reason and you need paperwork. I doubt you have either since dear William has done NOTHING WRONG." She knew he actually did have both of these things, but she felt better saying otherwise.

Beckett looked at her distastefully. "In fact, I do. Mister Mercer! The warrant for the arrest of one William Turner." He handed the scroll to the Governor.

"But this is for Elizabeth Swann."

"Oh, is it? That's annoying. My mistake. Arrest her. Oh, and that irritating little girl over there too. I have her warrant here as well.

"On what charges?"

Ignoring her question, he took two more scrolls from Mercer."Ah-ha! Here's the one for William Turner. And I have another one for a Mister James Norrington. Is he present?"

"Can you answer the question or not? If you can't, then PLEASE do us all a favor and shut up already."

"I don't believe that's the answer to the question I asked."

"What are you, deaf? It sure as heck ISN'T!"

"I highly recommend shutting your mouth, as _I _am the one arresting _you_."

"Fine, be that way. But I still don't like you." Then she stubbornly crossed her arms and was quiet, to Beckett's relief.

"Lord Beckett! In the category of questions not answered..."

"We are under the jurisdiction of the King's governor of Port Royal, and you will tell us what we are charged with."

"You helped a man escape death by the noose.For which the punishment, regrettably, is also death. Perhaps you remember a certain pirate named Jack Sparrow."

All three of them corrected him. "Captain! _Captain_ Jack Sparrow."

"Captain Jack Sparrow. Yes, I thought might." Without another word, they were led off to prison.

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"Grace… You came, but… You didn't wear your dress." Then realization hit her. "You knew this was going to happen, didn't you? You knew this whole time! Why didn't you tell us! We could have prevented this whole thing! What's wrong with you?"

Grace hung her head in shame, even though she knew she was in the right. "It was supposed to happen! But, did I not tell you not to fuss over the plans too much?" Elizabeth rolled her eyes and sat down beside Will, every now and then shooting Grace a dangerous look.

She looked down at her boyish clothing. "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

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I know the first chapter is a little short, but the others are longer. It might take a little longer to update than for the first one, since I'm still tweaking it. I'm just not satisfied with my plot. Meh, I'll work on it and update when I get some reviews, as always.


	2. Cannibals Ahoy!

Estel Ashlee Snape- Cool. I'm glad you like it!

Eternal Silver Flame- ZOMG, I made you cry! Quick! I have to update!

TheOddOne- No he won't! He'll die by the sword that I hold now. shows Tui

Captain Emra- Thanks! It's really hard making it different and interesting without being Mary-Sue. I'm doing my best, though.

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When Will had returned from negotiating with Beckett, he ran up to the cell door with Governor Swann and explained what had happened. "Jack's compass? What does Beckett want with that?"

"Does it matter? I'm to find Jack and convince him to return to Port Royal. In exchange the charges against us will be dropped. But, there's another thing…" His gaze shifted from Elizabeth to Grace and back again. "He's allowing me to bring one of you to help me. Only one. And now I have to decide who. I know it's cruel, but I _do_ need it."

"I have to go." Both were surprised to hear Grace say anything as she had not spoken since the night before.

"Will! We can't trust her! Look at where she's gotten us."

"Elizabeth. Listen, it's best if you stayed here." She gave a glance at the guard and whispered into her ear. "Your dad is going to get you out of here. I promise." Then talking normally she added, "How can you not trust me? I've been _living in your house_ for the past month."

Elizabeth looked at her, trying to figure out whether or not she was bluffing. "Alright."

"Thank you."

Then, turning to Will, she asked, "Where will you find him?"

"Tortuga. We'll start there, and we won't stop searching 'til I find him. And then I intend to return here, to marry you.

"Properly?"

"Eagerly, if you'll still have me."

Grace stood up. "And I will help you plan the most beautiful wedding the world has ever seen."

The Governor reached for the keys and knocked over one of the candleholders. Grace smiled and winked at Will. "I guess the guy that made these also made the ones in the Swann house."

Elizabeth held her hand out to Will. "I'll wait for you."

"Keep a weather eye on the horizon." He was about to leave when Grace stopped him.

"Hold on. Advice time! Don't stay in one spot too long, be creative, blend in and be nice to Norrington." Then, Grace took her bag and swords from the hook on the wall and followed Will to the docks.

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The two spent the next day running up and down the streets of Tortuga, looking for information. After finally coming back to the docks, she pointed out Shrimper who was mending a net. "Let's go ask him."

"Cannot say about Jack Sparrow. But dere's island, just south of de straits, where I trade spice for... Mmm... Delicious long pork. Cannot say about Jack. But you find a ship dere. A ship wit' black sails."

"You buy 'pork' from the Pelegostos?"

"Dat's right."

"Your crew must like it there."

"Oh, yes. Some of dem don't even come back. Stay to live there, dey do. A few every trip, act'ally. Heh. Young men dese days."

"Uh, right. I wouldn't eat any more of that 'pork' if I were you."

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Before she could even say 'Cannibal' they had arrived at the island and were being rowed to shore by Shrimper's brother. They stopped a ways away from shore.

"What's wrong? The beach is right there."

"Je ne peux, c'est trop dangereux, j'avais le dit. Bon voyage, monsieur."

"What?"

"He said it's too dangerous and we have to get out here." Then she hopped over the side into the water. When she reached the Pearl, she shouted back to Will. "I'm going to go look around."

"Go ahead."

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She carefully picked her way through the underbrush in what she thought was the general direction of the cannibal town. Much to her own surprise, the assumption was actually correct and she stumbled into the village within a few minutes. "Whoa. Luck, much?" Not seeing anyone around, she ducked into hut and changed into some cannibal attire. She had the grass skirt, war paint, ceremonial headdress, the whole enchilada. Happy, she swaggered off to find Jack.

She almost burst out laughing. The 'God of the Pelegostos' sat on his extravagant throne, snoring loudly. She waltzed up to his right-side 'guard' and tapped him on the shoulder, signaling that he was relieved of his duties. "Hey! Psst. Jack!"

He mumbled in his sleep. Something about hippos and… Pudding? She poked him consistently until he came to. He still wasn't_ fully_ awake yet. "Go away, Mr. Gibbs. Man the sails."

"Jack!"

"Wait, Grace? What the bloody heck are you doing here? And why are you wearing that ridiculous outfit? And for that matter, where am I and where can I get some food? And rum?"

"I don't think you'll be wanting any of _this_ food. See all these people? They _eat_ people. And that, my dear children, is called cannibalism and is, in fact, frowned upon in most societies. (AN1)"

"Where have I heard that line before? So you're telling me that I'm on an island of cannibals who have me sitting on a throne because they _don't_ want to eat me?"

"No, I'm saying that you're on an island of cannibals who have you stitting on a throne because they _do _want to eat you because they think you're a god. They happen to eat their gods, you know."

"Oh."

One particularly large native came up to her and gave her a shove. Jack quickly intervened by draping his arm across her shoulders and shouting to the crowd. "Mick-see-say. Mil-yoochy-yoochy!" In response, they tribe gave a thunderous cheer and brought forward another throne which they sat Grace down on.

"Jack! What did you tell them?"

"Congradulations, Gracie! You are now officially a Pelogostian god!"

"But how did you know the language?"

Before he could answer, the crowd parted, revealing yet another group bringing in Will on a stick.

"Jack? Jack Sparrow! I can honestly say glad to see you!"

"Thanks, Will. I'm just chopped liver."

"What?" Jack began poking him. "Jack! It's me! Will Turner!"

He shouted out some orders to the tribe and Will was carried off. "Jack! The compass! That's all I need, Elizabeth is in danger! We were arrested for trying to help you! She faces the gallows!"

His only reply was the cry of both Jack and Grace.** "**Save us!"

"Jack, what did you tell them? No! What about Elizabeth? JACK!"

Grace leaned over, noticing that they watched her every move. "What now?"

"We wait. Now, tell me about how you got here….."

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"So then we met this guy named Shrimper and…" She was cut off by the few women who put a necklace of toes around Jack's neck. Lucky enough, her own necklace was only seashells.

"Thank you." He bit off a piece of the nail and Grace smacked him upside the head.

"Eew, Jack! That's discusting!"

But Jack wasn't paying attention. "No no! Oy! Wait! More wood! Big fire! I am chief! Want big fire! Come on! Maboogie snickel-snickel!" As soon as no one was looking, he grabbed her by the wrist and high-tailed out of there.

"Jack! Cliff!"

He tottered at the edge for a moment and then dashed into the storage room. Grace on the other hand, found a nice gradual slope down the mountain, snatched up a sturdy piece of wood and jumped down.

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"Make ready cast-off!" Gibbs shouted to the crew. Will thought he heard a high pitched shrieking in the distance.

"Gibbs! What is that?" And as to answer his question, a figure hurtled out of the jungle onto the beach and skidded to a stop. "It's one of those cannibals. I'll take care of it." He drew his sword and ran out to meet the thing. Then he realized who he was looking at. "Grace?" He looked at her numerous scrapes and bruises. "God, are you alright?"

"Hehehe… Dizzy." She tried to stand up, but the makeshift toboggan slipped out from underneath her feet and she fell back into the sand with a cough. "Whoa." She gave a drunken laugh. "In a minute, I'll remember what happened and kick myself for being so stupid. But for now, I think I need a little help." He half dragged her back to the Pearl and shouted up to Gibbs.

"What about Jack! I won't leave without him."

"Heeeeeeeeey!" The crew turned to the voice that was floating from the distance. "HEEEEEEEEEEEY!" Jack sped down the beach in all his arm-flapping glory. Then they saw the rabid mob of cannibals that was trailing behind him.

"Time to go."

"Jack!" She turned to Gibbs. "Get going! He can wade out into the shallows!"

They were almost into deep water when Jack grabbed hold of the rigging and shouted to the shrinking crowd. "Alas, my children! This is the day you shall always remember as the day you almost-" Here he was drenched by a mini tidal wave.** "**...Captain Jack... Sparrow." Grace leaned over the edge.

"This is the day you shall always remember as the day you almost ATE Captain Jack Sparrow!"

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AN1: Alright, another cookie to whoever gets the reference!

Ok, I know there are more people out there. Don't just lurk, please review, even if it's very short. Because reviews make me smile. Don't you want me to smile? -winkwink-


	3. Good Evening, Dead Guy

NarnianPirate/ I dunno, I thought I'd work. I'm glad you like it!

Captain Emra/ Cool. I've been trying so hard not to make her Mary-Sue. That's the only reason I'm dissatisfied with my newly-written chapeters. I'm trying to figure out how to do a plot twist without being Mary-Sue. But, oop, I've said too much.

ButWhyIsAllTheRUMGone/ -gives you a cookie- Of course it's chocolate chip! Still warm and gooey from the oven, if that's how you like them. But honestly, you have not eaten cookies until you've had my homemade ones. Good Lord, they rock.

itsallaboutme/ -gives you a kookie- Kookies shall rool teh wurld.

Eternal Silver Flame/ Me? Remember it? Gosh no, I needed a script to just to put all the scenes in a sequence. No way I could remember all that. I'll send you the script ASAP.

Koneko the demon storyteller/ I hope it's better! -grins- But I don't think you can ever beat the original.

ThunderBenderPrincess/ -gives you a cookie- I was watching CatCF the other day and I was like, ZOMG! Cannibals! I totally have to put that in!

TheOddOne/ -gives you a cookie- Yes, 'anywhoozles' is a good word. Maybe I should say that more often.

POTC4Ever/-Thanks! I'm glad you reveiwed!

ta1nt3d1uv/ -gives you a cookie- OMG, I didn't did I? Oops. -blush-

Estel Ashlee Snape/ And crazy is a... Good thing, I hope?

Caribbean Babe/ -gives you a cookie- Ha! You've been COOKIED!

Ok, this. Blew. Me. Away. All these reviews made me so happy, I sat down on the spot and wrote another two chapters. What do you think of that? I was also very close to putting up a new chapter then and there. In fact, if I can get reviews like this, I can GUARANTEE an update every day. How'd you like that? Huh? Huh? Huh? But in all seriousness, I like, almost passed out when I saw I had so many reviews. So keep 'em coming, please!

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After she had put on her regular clothing –she had finally considered her 17th century garb to be 'normal'-, Grace headed topside in time to see Jack trying to convince Will to help in the search for the chest. "No. _You_ want you to find this. Because finding this finds you incapacitorially finding and/or locating and your discovering detecting of a way to save your dolly belle ol'... what's-her-face. Savvy?"

"This... Is going to save Elizabeth?"

"How much do you know about Davy Jones?"

"Not much."

"Yeah, it's gonna save Elizabeth." Then he noticed Grace, who was trying to befriend the undead monkey. "Grace, can you do me a favor?"

"Hold on a second." She closed her eyes, sat down and held out a hand. After focusing a moment, she emptied her mind of any negative emotions she had been feeling. "Come on, I'm not going to hurt you." The monkey cautiously hopped up to her and she rubbed its head. Within minutes it was perched on her shoulder, chattering excitedly.

"How'd you do that?"

"Animals can sense the feelings and intentions of people."

"Meaning?"

"You just need to be nice to him." Grace raised an eyebrow. "Now, what were you saying before?"

"Oh, um, nothing. Just bring that monkey with you."

"Why is Jack afraid of the open ocean?"

Well, if you believe such things, there's a beast does the bidding of Davy Jones. A fearsome creature with giant tentacles that suction your face clean off and drag an entire ship past the crushing darkness. Ugh, I can't even say it's name."

Grace rolled her eyes. "Wussy. It's called the Kraken." The other people in the boat turned to look at her and the monkey was silent for a change. **"**They say the stench of its breath is like and the reeking odor of a thousand rotting corpses. I'd say it's even worse than Jack's breath, which is seriously saying something."

"And the key will spare him that?"

"You could say that."

"But I don't think Jack's too positive. He wants to know for sure Bad enough even to go visit... _Her_."

"Her?"

"Aye."

"No worries, mates. Tia Dalma and I go way back. Thick as thieves. Nigh inseparable we are. Were. Have been. Before."

Gibbs nodded. "I'll watch your back."

"It's me front I'm worried about. Mind the boat."

When the chain of 'Mind the boat's ended at Mr. Cotton, Grace looked sympathetically at the mute. "For crying out loud, no one's going to steal the boat, we're in the middle of some deserted swamp. Just tie it up and get in here."

Jack opened the door a crack, half expecting something to jump out at him. Tia Dalma noticed him right away. "Jack Sparrow!"

"Tia Dalma!"

"I always know de wind was goin' teh blow you back to me one day." She gave a glance to Will and then her eyes turned to Grace. "You… You're not from here, are you?"

"No, I guess I'm not."

"Later, I wish t' hear 'bout it. Now," She turned to Jack. What service may I do you? Hmmm? You know I demand payment."

Grace petted the monkey on her shoulder. "We brought payment.**"**

"Look!" Jack pulled out his pistol and shot the poor little creature, who screeched loudly and scampered off. "An undead monkey! Top that!"

"Jack! Be nice to Jack!"

"It's a stupid monkey."

"No he's not! He's a living thing with feelings and needs to be treated that way!"

"But he stole my hat!"

"To heck with the hat!"

"How dare you!"

"ENOUGH!" Tia roared. "The payment is fair. How can I help you?"

"We're looking for this. And what it goes to."

"The Compass you bartered from me. It cannot lead you to dis?"

"No. Jack can't make the compass work."

"Ayeee... Jack Sparrow does not know what he wants! Or... Do know, but are loathe to claim it as your own."

Grace furrowed her eyebrows. "Wait. I don't get it."

"Your key go to a chest, and it is what lay inside the chest you seek, don't it?"

Will also became confused. "What is inside?"

You know of Davy Jones, yes? A man of de sea. A great sailor, until he ran afoul of dat which vex all men."

"What vexes all men?"

Grace smiled. "Oh, Will. You should know this. A woman."

"A woman. He fell in love."

"No-no-no-no, I heard it was the sea he fell in love with."

"I heard it was both. The woman was a mortal form of the sea."

"Same story, different versions, and all are true. See, it was a woman, as changing, and harsh, and untamable as the sea. Him never stopped loving her. But the pain it cause 'im was too much to live wid. But not enough to cause him to die."

"What... Exactly did he put into the chest?"

The temptation to steal the key line of the movie was too much to resist. "His heart."

"Literally, or figuratively?" Ragetti spoke up.

Pintel smacked him upside the head. "He couldn't li'erally put his heart in a chest! Could he?"

"Davy Jones is the immortal sea. There isn't much he can't do."

Tia Dalma agreed with her. "Aye. It was not wort' feeling what small fleeting joy life brings, and so... He carved out him heart, lock it away in a chest, and hide de chest from de world. De keys, he keep wid him at all times."

Will pointed an accusatory finger toward Jack. "You knew this."

"I did not. I didn't know where the key was. But now we do. So all that's left is to climb aboard the Flying Dutchman, grab the key, you go back to Port Royal and save your bonnie lass."

Grace let out a sigh and thought about the events which were to come. "Ah, if only it were that easy." Tia Dalma reached for Jack's hand when she interrupted. "For goodness sakes, just skip this part. Jack has the black spot, alright?" She ripped the bandage from his hand, revealing said mark.

"Uhhh! The black spot!"

"Gibbs, stop with that silly dance, you look like an idiot."

"Black spot! Black spot!"

"My eyesight's as good as ever, just so you know."

Tia Dalma went searching for her jar of dirt and went behind a beaded curtain. Since she wasn't watching, Grace slipped from the group and headed towards the doorway in which Will had seen the pair of boots. She whipped her head around the corner and made an exaggerated wink. "Hullo, Barbie! Nice to see you again!" Then she silently made her way back to the group, trying not to burst out into a fit of giggles.

"Davy Jones cannot make port. Cannot step on land but once every ten years. Land is where you are safe, Jack Sparrow. So you will carry land wid you." She handed him the jar.

"Congratulations, Jack! You are now the proud owner of one, well-crafted jar of dirt!

"Dirt. This is a jar of dirt."

"Good work Jack. We would have never figured it out on our own."

"Shush. Is this... Jar of dirt going to help?"

"If you don' want it, give it back."

"No!"

"Den it helps."

Grace burst out into laughter, part of it being left over from scaring Barbossa out of his shoes. "What? That's a good line."

"It seems... we have a need to find the Flying Dutchman."

Tia sat down at her map-covered table and took her crab claws into her hands. She chanted some strange words and threw the claws onto the map. "A touch... Of Destiny!"

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So... Yeah. Keep those reviews coming! I love it!


	4. Gah! Help Me!

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Ok, I have a dilemma here and I need imput! I was planning to have Grace go aboard the Flying Dutchman. I already have the whole part written. But it's a lot different and more serious. Should I rewrite that part ad make it so that she stays on the Pearl?

And now, I'm having another thought. Would it be possible to go as I planned it and then, after I've finished the story, go back and do the alternate course? This is very likely what I'll do, but I still want your opinions.

Gah! I need help. Please tell me what you think.

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	5. To the Dutchman!

Shadowhunter501/ Yes, I think it's good character development to put someone in a totally different setting.

NarnianPirate/ Yay! I'm glad you like it that much!

TheOddOne/ Ship. Whatever floats my ship. -wink-

ta1nt3d1uv/ Yeah, I think it would cool too.

Koneko the demon storyteller/ Alright, that's exactly what I'll do.

Caribbean Babe/ _No_ humor? Grace would be so totally OOC if she weren't saying at least something a little silly or sarcastic. No way, that would be _too_ different.

AJsHellCat/ Yes, I like that part, too.

Mulch Diggums/ I'm glad you felt that way. I'd really stink if I had to dump all of that work. BTW, I'm all set in terms of betas.

Eternal Silver Flame/ Alright, as soon as I finish this I'll start working on it. As for the script, didn't I mail you one? Ah well, I'll resend it

POTC4Ever/ But I don't have Jack's compass! Jack has Jack's compass! -cries-

Yes! Thank you so much for the imput! I'm going to continue on a do the Dutchman part, but as soon as I finish writing the rest of the story, it's back to the drawing board to do the alternate... Middle, part, thing.

* * *

Jack looked out over the ship and saw Grace playing her flute. How could she be so calm with all this talk of monsters and terrible leviathans? He descended from the crows nest and headed over to her. "Ah, Gracie! How about a little chat?" 

She abruptly stopped playing. "About what?"

He lowered hid voice and made sure no one else was listening. "You know what's going to happen, right?

"For the most part, that would be correct."

"So you can tell me all about little ol' Jonesies over there, _right_?"

"Wrong."

"Why the bloody heck not?"

"I already said: If I told you what was going to happen, you would do things differently no matter if you wanted it to happen or not. Seeing as you would do something you wouldn't regularly do, it would either happen anyway or not happen, causing a whole new train of happenings which weren't supposed to happen. Savvy?"

Jack shook his head 'no'. "Yes… Wait… No… Uh… Uh…"

"I'll tell you this much." She pointed to his left hand and tried to do a Davy Jones imitation. Much to the dismay of Jack, it was actually pretty good. "You have a debt to pay; You owe Davy Jones your soul. That's was the agreement. Time's up." Satisfied with his reaction, she sat down again and began once again chirping away on the little silver instrument.

"Women. They'll be the death of me."

He went below deck to go drown his worries in rum, leaving Grace to think to herself, _'You have no idea how true that is, mate."_

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"That's the Flying Dutchman? She doesn't look like much."

Jack was obviously very drunk. Actually, he was usually a little tipsy anyway, so let's rephrase this. Jack was extremely, extremely drunk. "Heh, heh. Neither do you, mate. Her… Don't uh… Uh…"

Grace joined them at the railing. "Underestimate her?"

"Yeh."

Gibbs tried to keep Jack upright. "Must've run afoul of the reef.

Grace, seeing as Jack was currently unable to speak, spoke for him. "So, Will, what's your plan of action?"

"I row over, search the ship until I find his bloody key. If there are crewmen, I'll cut down anyone in my path."

Jack grinned stupidly. "I like it. Easy to remember. Hey Gracie-girl! You're good at finding things! You go help Charlie…"

"Will."

"Right, right. Go help Charlie. My orders. Yeh." Then he passed out. All eyes were on her.

"Do a drunk captain's orders count?" A slow nod from Gibbs confirmed her suspicion. "Oh. Well then, come on, Charlie. Let's get a move on." She teased Will.

The two watched as the lanterns on board were put out. "Any predictions?"

Grace eyed the grounded ship and absentmindedly put a hand to the lump that was the box in her bag. "I… Don't know. But, I have a weird feeling. I don't know if it's good or bad, but I think the Dutchman is actually _calling_ to me."

Will gave her a look of disbelief. "Calling to you. Right."

"Yeah. I don't think I like it."

They boarded the ship –or ship_wreck_- and began searching for… Who knows what. Grace yelled up to Will from below. "This is creepy! I can't tell who's alive, who's dead and who's _un_dead."

"More undead pirates?"

"No, but it sounded good, didn't it?" The only answer she received was the sound of an earsplitting splash and the clang of metal on metal. She ran topside and was met with the scene of Will, knocked out on the ground, surrounded by a group a sea creature-like men. They started for her and she blurted out the first word that came to mind. "PARLEY!"

Before she knew it, she was standing in a line against the railing of the Flying Dutchman and had just woken up Will. They both heard the thump of a peg leg coming up on deck.

"Six men still alive. The rest have moved on."

"Do you fear death? Do you fear that dark abyss? All your deeds laid bare. All your sins punished. I can offer you... an escape."

The chaplain spoke up. "Don't listen to him!"

"Do you not fear death?"

"I'll take my chances, Sir." And with that, he was thrown overboard. Grace leaned over to Will. "Smart man." She did a double take. "Will, you're shaking like a leaf! Good Lord that is _so_ OOC."

Davy Jones stood in front of the helmsman. "Life is cruel. Why should the afterlife be any different? I offer you a choice. Join my crew, and postpone the judgment. One hundred years before the mast. Will ye serve?"

"I - I will, serve."

Then the captain looked down the row and was surprised to see the face of William Turner who was, although frightened to death, not actually dead.

"You are neither dead nor dying. What is your purpose here?"

Will was too scared out of his mind to answer so Grace boldly bowed and took the question. "We come representing Jack Sparrow of The Black Pearl, concerning his debt to you.

He faltered a moment. "What is your purpose here?"

Will had finally found his voice. "Jack Sparrow sent us to settle his debt."

"Huh! Did he, now? I'm sorely tempted to accept that offer." He glanced down at Grace, her face the picture of emotionless. He grabbed her neck in his claw and bent down to her level. "Do you fear… Me?"

She kept her face blank and unwaveringly looked him in the eye. "No, sir. I suppose I don't." The claw tightened. "But I respect you, Sir. And the way I look at it, a good captain keeps order with respect, not fear."

He released her and seemed to ponder what had just been said. "Smart answer." He ordered one of the men to show the recruits the ropes, turned to the rest of the crew and headed off to The Black Pearl. Will didn't know if they were considered 'recruits' and looked to Grace for reassurance, but she wasn't there. She felt a sharp pain on the back of her head where something metal had connected with it and fell to the deck, unconscious.

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There's my excuse for getting on the Dutchman. A very drunk Jack. Believable, no? -wink-


	6. OMG, Scary

Eternal Silver Flame/ Yeah, that happens to me a lot. I sent you a new message.

Mulch Diggums/ Hehehe. Suspense. 'Tis a wonderful thing... No, I'm just kidding! Sorry about the cliffie!

Caribbean babe / Ubers... I like that word. Maybe I should start saying that.  
ta1nt3d1uv/ Yeah. POTC charcters find that it happens. _A lot. _Seriously, has anyone else noticed that in DMC didn't Will get knocked out like, every scene?

Estel Ashlee Snape/ A little ouchie is the least of her problems right now. The Flying Dutchman just got a little creepier. Don't know what I mean? Well, that's why I updated! -wink-

NarnianPirate/ I tried to think of what I would do, had I been in that situation. That was just about it.

---

In order for this to work, we have to assume that the past of Davy Jones will play a large role in the third movie. Which it should, considering everyone is still fighting over the dude's heart.

-----------------------------------------------

Grace shot up and immediately wished she hadn't, compliments the large welt on the back of her head. She looked down at herself and realized that there was absolutely nothing whatever the matter wrong with her. "Thank God." She was completely unharmed, save the bump on her head, which was really starting to annoy her now. Even her bag and swords that were laying nearby were completely untouched. "Of course." She looked around and found herself in the cabin of none other than Davy Jones. _"This is way too much."_ She sat as if she were going to meditate, but instead of empting her mind, she merely got it working back up again. She felt herself slipping into a calm and tranquil dreamscape.

"Alright. Basics. Why am I here?"

_"That's not a very basic question." _

"Fine. Recap. I'm on the Flying Dutchman, in the Captain's cabin since I got knocked out. My only scapegoat is the music box I found on the Isla de Muerta and maybe Mr. Turner, but I highly doubt it. I felt drawn to the ship of reasons unknown to me and I am now officially stressed out enough to be talking to myself."

_"You're not really talking to me. I'm just a metaphor of your consience that's helping you sort out your thoughts. Besides, it helps, doesn't it?" _

"I suppose it does. Now how do I survive? Do I sit tight and try to be ignored or do I go out there and kick some butt?"

_"This could go two ways. Either Jones will just forget about you…." _

"Unlikely."

_"Or he may be curious as to how much you know about his past and want to keep you around." _

"Or he could chuck me overboard as soon as he finds out I know anything."

_"Well, that too. Gosh, you're so negative today." _

"Can't imagine why." Things all of the sudden became distorted and then cleared again Then she saw a figure that she couldn't make out in the distance. It was surrounded by fog, and carried an aura of sadness and despair. It came foreword and the fog parted, revealing a little black girl in a blue dress. "Who are you?"

She giggled, despite the aura. She took a step foreword and for a moment her being changed from the little girl to a more grown up version of herself, the woman she had seen in the painting and then back again.

" Man. No more horror flicks for me."

_"But, you don't watch horror flicks." _

"Right."

"Oh, my name's not really that important."

"But, you're in _my _mind. Surely I have the right to- Wait a second. You've got to be the one who's been pulling me around everywhere. _You're_ the one who's gotten me into more trouble than I've ever been in, _in my life_, PUT TOGETHER! Why am I here?"

The being changed again, to the figure she had seen in the portrait. "Because you need to help me."

"If I knew what you wanted, maybe I'd agree."

"I need to get my David back."

For some reason, she had a feeling she'd say someting along those lines. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. The guy took his own heart out. I don't think he wants any of my help. Or yours, for that matter. Besides, you expect me to just go and change the 'devil of the sea' from the way he's been for years upon countless years?"

"No. Just remind him that I'm still here. It's important for a future time. But then again, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" She shifted back to the little girl. "I can help you out anyway! I know exactly what I want; I just need someone help me do it."

"You did all of this just to _remind_ him. So you want me to toy around with the mind of the most dangerous man to ever sail the ocean? Right." Then her thoughts turned to her previous words. "The future..." Then it dawned upon her. Each character in a movie had a purpose, a place to go or a thing to do. This was hers. She was truly becoming a part of this universe. Scary. She sighed in defeat. "Alright. If that's the way it has to be."

She shifted again and bowed. "Thank you." The spirit disappeared.

"Got any smart plans now?"

_"No." _

She was snapped out of her daze when the door opened and she stood up to attention. Davy Jones entered and spoke to her. "You gave your friend quite the scare, little missy."

"I will be more careful in the future."

"Good. And it wouldn't hurt to keep those swords with yeh. But, I don't see how can even lift 'em, let alone handle 'em. In the morning, you will report to duty. I want that organ over there cleaned."

"Yes, sir."

He was about to leave again but Grace called after him. "Um, Captain?" She went to her bag and pulled out the music box. "Someone told me this belonged to you." With a bow, she held it up to him.

_-flashback-_

He stood at them helm, rubbing a finger over the perfect finish of the box. It was the last thing he had that reminded him of her, save for the locket. His hand went to the fresh scar that had formed over where his heart had once been and without a second thought, he threw the box out over the water as hard as he could. He was glad to be rid of it and yet, even without a heart, deep down inside he mourned the loss.

_-end flashback-_

"Where did yeh get this?"

"The former captain of The Black Pearl, Captain Barbossa, had a large treasure trove hidden away on the Isla de Muerta. That's where I found it."

"I see." Without another word, he left, leaving Grace to wonder if his silence was a good or bad thing. Maybe this whole thing wouldn't be as hard as she thought.

-----------------------------------------

Finally, after editing and re-editing and re-re-editing, I feel that I have gotten my plot twist straight. -sings- Plot twist! w00t! Don't worry, I'm only going to have one chapter focusing on this, so it'll still be the same piratey goodness, just a few things added here and there. And no, Grace is NOT going to turn all Mary-Sue on you guys. Not only would that be really mean, but it would be very OOC of her to do so.

On the point of reviews, I'm a little unsure about this part, so I need people to tell me what they think. I know there are more people out there, I can see my hit count and who has Long Shot on their alert or favorites list. -wink- But it would be great if I could be blown away again.


	7. A Heart Is An Organ

Estel Ashlee Snape/ Sweet. Alright then, here is your update!

Mulch Diggums/ Yes, yes. Don't worry. I can't just have Grace the whole time. Then it wouldn't be any fun to read _or_ write.

JeanieBeanie33/ Really? I've seen a lot of stories that have that and they're still up. Maybe I'll go and add something to it, just in case. Thanks for telling me!

ta1nt3d1uv/ Awesome! But don't rest yet, I still have a a curveball or two to throw.

Janet Tripper/ I don't like them either. But it's interesting to see a non-Sue put in a Sue position and then try to get out of it, personality still intact, eh?

NarnianPirate/ I kind of had to assume that that whole...part... happened on the first night, so Grace would have been konked out.('konked' is great word, I should probably use it more) If she was there, she probably wouldn't have looked anyway. And Bootstrap was one of my favorite new characters, so of course she'll meet him. Maybe sooner than later.

honestgreenpirate/ True, Elizabeth _did_ technically kill Jack, but thanks to her, now not only is everyone else still alive, but we have a plotline for a third movie. Do I have a point? But anyway, thanks for the review!

So sorry, I didn't have an available computer so I'm a day late. Sorry again!

------------------------------

Grace climbed the ladder to one of the pipes and ran her finger down it. She looked down in disgust at the gunk that had collected on it "Well, it could be worse." When noticed that the metal underneath was actually fairly clean looking, she got a brilliant idea. Climbing all the way to the top of the pipe, she wrapped the cloth around it and let go. "Wheeeeeeeeeee!" She hurtled all the way to the bottom and looked back up. It was a bit foggy, but clean nonetheless. "It could be _a lot_ worse."

On the fourth or fifth pipe, there was one particular spot that refused to come off. Grace looked to over and found that it was, in fact, a strange kind of starfish. Trying to pry it off without success, she felt another mental nudge and received an idea. She gently rubbed the creature and pictured a rocky shore – most likely the home of such a thing – and before she knew it, it crawled down and out the window. There were words engraved on where it had been sitting. "Reflections of a soul." She raised an eyebrow to question it, but continued on. _"Are movie people always drawn to weird things like this?"_

After going back to polish up the dull spots, she stepped back to admire her work. It had taken a lot longer than she had thought, but it sure did look nice, even for some big creepy organ. She was startled by a faint tinkling noise and realized that her hand had slipped and pressed down one of the keys. Hesitantly sitting down, she pressed another key and met with the same sound. Gentle and strong all at the same time, like a baby grand piano. Hardly right for a huge organ such as this. She received another mental push.

"_Play something." _

"Are you crazy? No way."

_"You agreed to help me." _

"I know, but this is practically suicide! I can't…." She thought of what could happen if things didn't go as planned. She herself had spent a good part of her adventure trying to fix thngs like that. It would only be fair to do as she was supposed to. She grumbled somthing about bloody plotlines and then asked the ghost,"What am I playing?"

_"Well, there was one song that I used to play a lot." _

Grace opened the bench and took a page of music off the top._ "This one?"_

_"Perfect." _

She paused, trying to convince herself that this was a bad idea but began anyway, the sound of a soft piano echoing through the room. She didn't even know the song _had_ words but she sang anyway.

Davy Jones stopped berating Maccus for the time being and put an ear to the wind. What _was_ that? It surely wasn't his organ and it was a little too loud to be a locket or music box. He made for his cabin.

_Someone holds me safe and warm.  
Horses prance through a silver storm.  
Figures dancing gracefully  
Across my memory... _

By now she had forgotten all about what she was actually doing and was concentrating on the music, the spirit guiding her fingers across the keys. She didn't even hear the squeak of the door or the soft thump of a peg leg.

_Far away, long ago,  
Glowing dim as an ember,  
Things my heart  
Used to know,  
Things it yearns to remember... _

_"Is that really the girl's voice? I could have sworn it sounded just like… Nevermind." _

_And a song  
Someone sings  
Once upon a December _

It was completely silent for a moment. "What did you do to my organ?"

Grace stood up quickly. She would have feared for her life had she not seen that the expression on his face was more mystified than angry. "My apologies. I shouldn't have…" But he didn't hear a word she said. He ran a tentacle over the keys and played a few notes. It sounded just as it should have; It was just a loud, particularly angsty sounding organ.

"Play those same notes."

She obeyed and when she pushed the keys down, they sounded the same as when she had played; A baby grand piano. Then it dawned on her. "There were words."

"What?"

"On one of the pipes. It said, 'Reflections of a soul' I think the sound of the organ reflects the spirit of the player. I'm just a kid so when I play it, it sound all pure and light and stuff. But when you play it, it... Sounds... All... Oh." She realized what she had said. "Well, I'm going to leave you alone now." She grabbed her swords and bolted out the door.

Davy Jones just stared at the shining pipes. "There's something strange about that lass. Either she's just an ignorant little girl that happens to push all the right buttons, or there's something that I'm not seeing… And I don't like either of them." He had the urge to out there and toss her overboard, but something told him not to. As to just what that something was, he wasn't quite sure.

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She had managed to get up into the crow's nest without being seen. She sat there a while and finally she thought,_ "Are you there?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Good. First of all, you so totally set me up for that! Are you happy? Secondly, what was the deal with all the 'Reflection' stuff?" _

_"To the first: Yes, that is exactly the effect I was looking for. To the second: I put that spell on it myself. A heart is an organ, so why shouldn't it be the other way around?"_

_"Oh yeah. Hilarious. But seriously, how long do I have to keep doing this? Another stunt like that, and I'm toast." _

_"I have everything under control..."_

_"Of couse you do. But, do you just want know what bothers me the most?" _

_"No, I don't." _

_"You're trying to make me act all Mary-Sue and I hate it, so stop."_ (AN1)

She broke off the conversation and started down the rope ladder, muttering to herself the whole way. "This is insane. Creatures of the deep, magic organs… For goodness sakes, I'm taking orders from a bloody _ghost_."

_"But, who is this Mary Sue of whom you speak of and why do you hate her so?" _

Absorbed in her own thoughts, she turned the corner and ran head first into one of the crew. Without even looking, she let out an involuntary 'EEP!' and swung back around the corner. She was about to dash away but she paused and furrowed her eyebrows. There was no shouting nor cursing… She peeked her head back around the corner. "Mr. Turner?" Sure enough, there he stood, still trying to figure out what had just happened. She grinned from ear to ear and preformed an extravagant twirling bow. "It's wonderful to meet you, Mr. Turner. My name is…"

Before she could finish, the Jr. poked his head out from a pile of rope he was mending and leapt up. "Grace!" He took her in a bone-crushing hug. "You're alright! I was so worried… If anything had happened to you, Elizabeth would have killed me! Jack would too!"

Grace squirmed a bit. "Will, it's great that you're happy to see me and everything, but crushing my bones to make your bread doesn't exactly feel very welcoming."

He quickly let go and blushed. "Oh, sorry." The he turned to is father. "This is Grace, the girl that came to the Dutchman with me."

"Ah." He held out a hand, which she shook and then said jokingly, "I pictured you as being a lot taller."

She chucked slightly. "Well, you know the saying about good gifts and small packages."

For the next hour or so, the trio finished up the last few tasks of the night, Will and Grace filling Bootstrap in about their previous adventure. "You know for being a ship of eternal suffering and all that jab, I'm actually having a pretty good old time sitting here with you two." She smiled and yawned contentedly.

-----------------------------------------

That night, Grace slept on a hammock in the crew's quarters, one sword drawn. Just in case. Will was below her and Bootstrap one over, but neither could sleep.

"She's a spunky one."

"What?" Will looked over to where his father lay.

"She worries me, though. Last time we had a child aboard, he was no younger than maybe fourteen or fifteen. And let me tell you, honestly, the lad didn't last very long."

"She'll pull through." He said without hesitating. But then he became unsure and his thoughts went to the torn up skin on his back. "You're right. I have to find out where he's hiding that key."

He nodded gravely. "Aye. The crew may seem uninterested now, but they always go after new recruits eventually. I'll watch your back, you watch hers."

He pondered the concept a moment. "I will." He fell asleep to the organ music in the background. It seemed that tonight, although not by much, it sounded a bit quieter than usual.

---------------------------------------------------

AN1- There! I said it! Now it shall stop.

I just went to go see DMC one last time before it left theatres and I immediately rewrote the chapter after I got the organ idea. At least_ I_ kinda liked it.

As for the other Sue line, does anyone want to guess what cartoon character inspired it?


	8. You Call This Stress Relief?

Estel Ashlee Snape/ Scary indeed. But she knows that the spirit will back her up... Hopefully.

NarnianPirate/ You like the twists? Yes! I was afraid that no one would like them. _So_ glad to hear otherwise.

Koneko the demon storyteller/ Yes, I heard it recently and I said to myself, 'OMG that's perfect'. I dunno, I thought it'd fit.

Mulch Diggums/ How can you not love Bootstrap? Meh, whatever. But you're right. Maybe if he ever got... Erm... Un...seacreatured... Then _maybe_ huggable.

JeanieBeanie33/ Ah yes, but he almost did. She would have been fish food were it not for a -ahem- _particular _manipulative ghostie that likes to play with people's feelings and judgements.

ta1nt3d1uv/ It's in theatres where_ I_ am at least. I don't know about you. And you're teacher was named Mary Sue? Weird.

Sorry, I wasn't specific. I didn't think anyone would get it anyway. It was Starfire, from Teen Titans. Great show. It's too bad it was cancelled. Starfire (to Raven): Perhaps _we_ should do the hanging out. We never have before, and conceivably it could be fun. We might journey to the mall of shopping, or perform braiding maneuvers upon each other's hair, or...

Anyway, I did my best to do an action scene, but it was a lot harder than I thought.  
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Maccus was in a foul mood that morning. Something would certainly push him over the edge. Someone was going to get it bad.

Meanwhile, Grace was also in a slightly bad mood. She hadn't really eaten much for a while, the weather was gross and the ever-present gloomy mood was beginning to "block her positive zen", as she most often put it. Unlike Maccus, she was quite content to simply try to make herself feel better in a quiet and civilized manner. She sat in the crow's nest, her assigned post for that day. She didn't mind much, since it was decidedly her favorite spot. She reached into her bag and unwrapped the flute from its handkerchief. It wasn't really a flute necessarily, as it was smaller and much daintier than anything like that. (AN1)

She remembered when she first held it, still warm from the forge. At the beginning, she had a surprisingly difficult time learning how to play the thing, but with a lot of practice, she wasn't really that bad. She fitted the instrument to her lips and the soft, earthy melody drifted down over the ship. The few crew members that could hear it seemed comforted by the tune and continued on with their duties. It saddened her, actually. Most of these men probably had earned an honest living and came aboard hoping to live long enough to see their family again. Poor souls.

Maccus, however, was not one of them. He shouted up to her. "Stop that stupid music, or I'll come up there and stop it for you!"

She looked down at the newly christened, 'Shark Guy' and examined her fingernails. "Alright then. Without anything to do, maybe I'll just fall asleep, and then when we come up on a ship, I can just let you sail on ahead, completely unprepared. Besides, it doesn't seem to be bothering anyone else."

"Says who?" He look around at the others, all of them nodding in agreement. Obviously they weren't about to take her side.

She dropped the act and gave him a sharp glare. "What do you want? Just leave me alone."

Now he knew exactly what would help his bad mood. "I challenge you to duel! One on one. We'll see who's so bold and brave now."

_-flashback-_

"No, no practice today. I've got a lot of work to do."

"Oh, come on, Will." She hopped up onto a barrel, stating that she was there to stay. "Could you talk to me then? It's either this or trying on dresses with Elizabeth. I mean, it's nice, but it gets boring after a while."

"You can't go outside?"

"Will, it's raining. I got soaked enough just coming here. Please?"

"Alright. Let's see..." He heated a sword tip in the forge and thought a moment. "Challenges. It's one of the most imporant things about swordfighting."

"Well... Shouldn't you always accept? They'd think you weak otherwise. It's that simple, right?"

"Not really." He placed the sword on the anvil and hammered away at it. "What's the point of being brave if you're just going to get killed? Of course, that's only one side of it. If you _are _going to accept, you should always trust your instincts, like you tell Elizabeth. You also have to be able to figure out your opponent."

"Meaning?"

He heated the sword again. "Use their weaknesses against them. If you can figure out their weakness and build your strategy around that, you'll be all set. All in all, just use your common sense." He imitated Jack. "But whatever you do, just don't do anything... Stupid." They both laughed.

_-end flashback-_

The man... Er... Sharkman below her was large, and probably couldn't move as fast as she. She met her opponent's eyes. They were brimming with over-confidence. In that was her advantage. She slid down the rigging and landed silently on the deck. "I _accept_ your offer!"

There came murmurs from the crowd that had formed arond her. Everyone was sure she would decline. They watched as she drew La –after all, La _was_ the spirit of life- and deposited her bag the remaining sword to the side. She stood in an awkward stance, hoping to give him false confidence. To her satisfaction, his smirk grew even larger and he too took up a stance.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Will fight through to the front of the crowd. "What are you doing? You can't-" He was silenced by the grave look she gave him.

Bootstrap called out to the first mate. "Call it off! She's not but a little lass!"

"Shut it! She agreed to a duel and that's exactly what she's going to get."

There were loud shouts, some for her and others against, but she heard none of it. Just like Will had taught her, she drowned out the shouting until she heard nothing but the beat of her own heart. A voice cut through the silence. "DUEL!"

He launched at her straight away, hoping to catch her off guard, but she gracefully moved to one side and slashed at his retreating back. She knew this was the only advantage she would get, as he would no longer underestimate her. Just as she had thought, he turned and growled, "You tricked me!"

"Pirate."

He charged at her again with a few swings of his cutlass, but she either blocked or avoided them all together. It was then that she noticed that his footwork was rather sloppy. Obviously he was used to just hacking down everything in his path as opposed to a one-on-one duel such as this. She began to speed it up, moving constantly: spinning, ducking, turning. She could tell he was getting worn out, but then again, so was she."You can't dodge forever!" She responded with a swift uppercut that he blocked. Catching her off balance, he slashed at her left shoulder and she cried out in pain. "Where's your old friend Jones when you need 'im, eh?"

She continued to dodge and block, since her sword arm was on the right. "I don't know what you're talking about." She finally struck back with a varying bout of swings, one of them landing a cut on his shin. She almost smiled when she saw that he began to favor that leg a bit.

"You'd be dead by now if it weren't for him stepping in. You were lucky. But you're not getting off easy this time."

So _that's_ what had happened while she had been knocked out. Interesting. She deflected another blow and made an attack. They clashed together, swords hilt to hilt. He knew he was stronger. " Listen up, girl, and listen up good." He was toying with her now, not really trying, just keeping her from gaining the advantage. "You don't belong here. Now either you get out, or die like the sorry little weakling you are. Just like you should have a long time ago." A single tear rolled down her cheek. She felt all of stress she had been feeling since her arrival to the cursed ship blow up into one word.

"NO!" In a burst of rage, she broke off and threw a devastating flood of attacks, unable to control herself. He became unbalanced and she spun around backwards and rammed the hilt upwards into his chin. She caught his falling sword and poised them at either side of his neck as he hit the floor. Now she spoke not only to him, but to the entire crew, venom slowly dripping from every word. "If I am meant to die, than so be it. That is my fate in this world. But if I do, I'll die with _honor _and _strength._" She spat out her last words. Then she became quiet. "Just leave me alone." She tossed the rusty cutlass to the side, picked up her effects and climbed below deck, Will and his father following her.

Davy Jones turned away from the doorway and muttered to himself. "Yes, there's definitely something that I'm not seein' here."

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AHA! So, she _wasn't_ knocked out by accident...

AN1: I was playing Ocarina of Time (A Link and Zelda game) the other day and I had this spontanious combustion of ideas in my head. I just kind of pictured Grace just hanging out playing Sarina's Song (which is pretty happy and upbeat) on the Dutchman, looking totally out of place. I put it in there more for the amusement of myself than to move the plot along. Heh.

BTW, where did all my review people go? I asked for a lot of reviews and got over ten. Now I'm getting only four or five. So I'm going to ask again in hopes that you guys will blow me away again. Pweese? -puppy eyes-


	9. In Which Grace Feels Better

ta1nt3d1uv/ You think so? Cool. And yes, thanks for being one of my wonderful, faithful reviewers!

Janet Tripper/ Aweome! I liked that chapter too. -blush-

JeanieBeanie33/ Yeah, I always thought he needed a good butt whoop. Sorry, I don't know who Clanker is... On the second subject, I think that boys almost break more hearts than girls. Or, at least they cause more fights... But I dunno, I have absolutely no interest in dating whatsoever, so I'm not really one to ask.

Koneko the demon storyteller/ Yeah, I know. School's starting up and everything.

TheOddOne/ That's alright! I'm just glad you didn't totally desert me. Erm... I hope you had a good trip!

Estel Ashlee Snape/ Ah. That's Grace's character. She takes and takes and takes until finally, she blows and then feels better.

NarnianPirate/ You mean, you wouldn't have reviewed if I hadn't said 'puppy eyes'? Oh, boo. Kidding. Thanks for reviewing!

Er... Do you mind if I go on a quick rant? Of course you don't. Ok. So, I left my old school mid-year last year because I couldn't stand the teachers. (I mean come on. One of them was suspended for screaming at the class.) To make a long story short, The worst of them (the one that got suspended) was fired and got a new job at my school. In my grade level. Teaching _me_. GAAAAAAAAH! Alright, I'm done now. Thanks!

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"Grace?" Will hurried down to help her. "Dad, go get some bandages." He knelt down beside her, attempting to get her attention. "Are you ok? Like you would say, that was so OOC of you." His smiled faded when she didn't answer. "I don't think I've ever seen you flipped out like that." He sat there, trying to cheer her up until Bill returned with an armful of linen and a bucket of seawater.

"That's all I have. Sorry."

"That's alright." He pressed the cloth against her wound, trying to make it stop bleeding. "I know you. Something like that wouldn't push you over the edge. There's something else I don't know about."

"Ow, ow, ow!" She tried to push his hand away as he dabbed the water on it. "Do you have to do that?"

"It'll help. But you're avoiding my question."

She winced again as he pulled away the sleeve and began to wrap her shoulder. Her voice rose in frustration. "It's just that I hate stupid Maccus and stupid Davy Jones and stupid ghosts and stupid organs and stupid plolines and this stupid ship and I just hate stupid _EVERYTHING_!" She sighed heavily and wiped her eye, realizing that she had also received a cut along her cheekbone.

"Ok..." He looked at his father for an explanation.

He just mouthed back, "Teenagers."

Will turned her so that he could look her in the eye. "This is serious. What is wrong with you?"

Grace didn't feel like going into detail. "There's something… Supernatural aboard this ship."

Will took the chance to lighten the mood. "Oh, yeah. We're on a submergible ship with fish fins for sails, a crew of mutant sea creature men-" He paused for a moment. "No offence, Dad."

Bill rolled his eyes. "None taken."

"- and a big octopus-guy with a pet leviathan for a captain. Nope, nothing _obviously _supernatural here."

She laughed quietly and flinched again as Will tied the bandage. "I mean, other than that."

"_Other_ than the submergible ship with fish fins for sails, a crew of mutant sea creature men and a big octopus-guy with a pet leviathan for a captain?"

"You bet. Try the ghost of the wife of the big octopus-guy with the pet leviathan that captains the submergible ship with fish fins for sails and a crew of mutant sea creature men."

"The ghost of the wife of the big octopus-guy." He sighed. "Figures. What does she want with you?"

She mimicked the spirit. "Just remind him that I'm still here." He felt a sharp pain in her skull. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" She received strange looks from both of them and Bill's eyes widened.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? I doubt even the bravest of sailors could even as much as mention the Captain's past to anyone, nevermind the Captain himself."

"True, but I'm not sailor am I? But really, no kidding. This whole thing is stupid. Will, you better come up with an idea or I'll come up with it for you, whether I'm supposed to or not."

"That bad, huh? Alright. I have a plan. I think it's just crazy enough to work."

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Will and Grace sat on the steps, over looking the gaming table. "What did you say this was called again?" Will asked.

"Liar's Dice."

Bill came up behind them. "Have you figured out how to play?"

"I understand. It's a game of deception. Your bet includes all the dice, not just your own. What are they wagering?"

A sad look came over his face. "The only thing we have."

"Years of servitude." Grace finished and gave Will the thumbs up. "Good luck with that."

"I challenge Davy Jones!" The organ music that had been playing in the background abruptly stopped. With each footstep, the barnacles underneath the deck clamped shut.

"I accept!"

Grace grinned, apparently back to normal. "Ooh. Dramatic."

"The stakes?"

"My soul. An eternity of servitude."

"Against?"

Grace tossed the piece of cloth onto the table, where it unrolled and revealed the picture on it. Will pushed it toward Jones.

"I want this."

She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was extremely perturbed. He looked back and forth between the two of them. "How do you know of the key?"

Will casually answered back. "That's not part of the game, is it? You can still walk away."

His only reply was one tentacle that came forward from the others, holding a single key that bore great resemblance to the drawing. Everyone turned their attention to Bill who had also sat down to play.

"What's this?"

"I'm in."

"No! Don't do this." Will and Grace exchanged glances, both saying, _"What do you mean you never told him the plan?"_

"Mr. Turner! Don't!" But despite her protest, he didn't move. Then the game began. She really didn't understand it at all. To her, you just shouted out a few random numbers until someone pointed at you and said "ZOMG, you stinking, lying cheat!" She snapped out of her thoughts.

"And be called a liar myself for my trouble? Bootstrap Bill, you're a liar and you will spend an eternity on this ship! Master Turner, feel free to go ashore... The very next time we make port!"

She looked up and called after him. "Hey! Witty, sarcastic lines are _my_ job!" No one noticed.

"Fool. Why did you do that?"

"I couldn't let you lose."

Grace jumped down from her perch and landed beside them. "But it was never _about_ winning or losing."

"The key."

"There we go! Now we're catching on!" The threesome was quiet for a time, thinking of their next plan of action. "It's my turn to have an idea and it's definitely crazy enough to work."

-----------------------------

"_You want me to do what?"_

Grace tried to convince the spirit. _"I dunno, just don't let him wake up."_

"_You know I don't approve of people messing with his heart."_

"_Neither do I, but you owe me big time and this is such a minimal thing. Besides, it's supposed to happen. You yourself said the same thing to me."_

"_True, it is. Alright, then. But there is one more thing you can do for me.."_

_------------------------------_

That night, the deck was completely deserted save for three quiet figures. Well, at least two of them were quiet. "By the way, why do we even keep a rowboat aboard? The crew can all swim pretty darn well considering you're all part fish."

"I guess I never thought about it. No, I don't know why we have one."

"See? That's the power of plotlines working here. Will, lets go."

The two slipped silently into the cabin of Davy Jones. "Are you sure he's going to stay asleep?" Will breathed. The soft murmuring coming from the other side of the room confirmed that. Apparently he was in the middle of a very bad dream.

Grace handed him a quill pen as if it were a surgical tool and he tried to lift two or three tentacles out of the way. One of them fell, and she gently caught it before it hit the organ keys. She slipped a gold and mother-of-pearl wedding band onto it, but Will didn't notice. _"I hope you're happy now." _

She was still holding up a few tentacles when Will finally emerged from the slithering mass, the key strategically balanced on his pinky finger. They slowly replaced the tentacles and as she turned to leave, she carefully opened the locket. The melody seemed to calm him, as his muttering stopped and instead, he began to snore softly. "Oh, that's actually kinda cute."

Will gave her an odd look and then motioned towards the door. "Let's go!" They ducked out and Grace gave a small cry of victory.

(AN1) "The surgery was a success! Success!" They ignored her and freed the longboat from all of the barnacles that had glued it to the hull. "No, no, no. You're both supposed to answer back one at a time, 'Success!'and then we all jump in the middle, bonk heads and….. Er... Anywhoozels, let's move ahead."

Will didn't understand and turned to his father. "They'll know you helped me."

He gave a slight chuckle. "What more can the do to me?"

Grace was about to make a word of protest and then stopped herself. "He's got a very sad little point there."

"Aye. Will, take this." He held out a small little knife and Will accepted it.

"I take this with a promise. I'll find a way to sever Jones' hold on you. And not rest until this blade pierces his heart. I will not abandon you. I promise."

Grace hopped into the boat. "Mr. Turner, it was a pleasure meeting you. May we meet again." With that, they were lowered into the water and set out into the darkness.

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AN1- Ok, if anyone can get the "sucess and bonk heads" reference, I'll give you two dozen cookies. Anyone up to the challenge? Huh, huh, huh? -wink-

And yes, TheOddOne, I used 'anywhoozels'. Great word. That being said... Review, people! Review! Yes, even those people who have NBAL on their favorites or alert list and just lurk. That's right, I'm talking to you. _I seeeeee yooooou_. Ok, that was creepy. Just review so I don't have to do that again.


	10. FREEEEEEEDOM!

Sharca/ I love that song, so I was so happy to realize that the lyrics fit so well. I'm glad to have a new reviewer!

TheOddOne/ Sorry, I didn't think you would mind. It was more or less a nod in your direction to say 'Hey, thanks for reviewing'.

Mulch Diggums/ Eep! I apologize for my lack of Jack. Remember, there's always the Alternate story. There's plentey of Jack in that one. Peace? BTW, fencing is a ton of fun. You should seriously try it.

Janet Tripper/ Grace is 13. Her young age makes everything so simple since you know that there won't ever be any romance between her and any character whatsoever. I consider that a very good thing. -wink-

Captain Davy Jones/ Whoo! Welcome! But ah, Starfire did not inspire the beginnings of Mary-Sues as a group. Merely that one particular line in my one particular story. Besides, I don't really like Mary-Sues and I love Starfire (Although Raven is a bit cooler in my opinion)

JeanieBeanie33/ Thanks for the sympathy. I thought about it and figured that it'd be ok. And yes, the longboat thing really stumped me last time I saw DMC.

Estel Ashlee Snape/ Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to review each chapter.

ta1nt3d1uv/ Sorry about that, I must not have caught it. Heh, my bad.

NarnianPirate/ Oh goodie! You had me worried there... Kidding.

See, _this_ is the kind of reviewing I've been talking about! Thank you! Keep it up, guys!

Alright, no one got the reference, as I predicted. In fact, I bet my brother 20 bucks and now I am a rich girl. Whoopie! Anyway, you can most often see The Three Stooges doing that gag. Cracks me up every time. What do you mean I don't look like the kind of person who would like something like that? Fine, be that way. -wink-

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They rowed along for some time in silence, both deep in their own thoughts. Finally, Will spoke. "How is Elizabeth?"

"What?"

"Elizabeth. You know what's supposed to happen, so you can tell me how she is, right?"

Grace thought a moment. Did she really want to tell him the truth? "She is… Unharmed, if that is what you meant."

"You don't sound too sure about that."

"Just don't be too hard on her. The woman knows what she's doing. I promise. Just keep focused on the task at hand."

He seemed unsatisfied, and was about to press further but was interrupted. "Ship!" Grace pointed out the brownish blur in the distance. They rowed closer until someone spotted them. The two were hauled aboard and ushered inside the captain's quarters. She gratefully accepted a blanket.

"Strange thing to come upon a longboat so far out in open waters."

"Just put as many leagues behind us as you can. As fast as you can."

Bellamy made no move to do anything. Grace stood up. "Get going or else you're all dead men!" She immediately clapped a hand to her mouth, having gone too far and sat down again.

"And what are we running from?"

"A storm. That's how we got out here. We abandoned ship right before it hit and rowed like crazy…" She went to cover her slip-up. "Will? Isn't that Elizabeth's wedding dress?"

"Yes." He turned to the captain. "That dress. Where did you get it?

"It was found aboard the ship. The crew it thought it was a spirit bringing some omen of ill fate."

He smiled to himself. "That's foolish."

"Yes, It brought good fortune! The spirit told us... Put in at Tortuga. And we made a nice bit of profit there."

Grace gave Will a look that said, _"Oh, I sooo told you."_

"I imagine... some of your crew may have jumped ship there.

They were interrupted by another sailor. "Captain, a ship's been spotted."

"Colors?"

Grace mouthed the word she desperately didn't want to hear. "She isn't flyin' any."

"Pirates!"

"Or worse."

"Much worse."

They ran out to the deck and Grace motioned for the crow's nest. "Safest place on the ship."

Will climbed up and looked out over the ocean.** "**We've doomed us all. It's the Flying Dutchman!"

Her heart began to race as she watched the scene unfold. One tentacle reached out and grabbed on of the sailors and pulled him below the surface of the ocean. Jones' voice rang through her head. "Let no joyful voice be heard!" One man screamed and wildly rang the warning bell. "Let no man look up at the sky with hope!" Another sailor was dragged into the depths. "And let this day be cursed by we who readily wake the Kraken!" The beast burst through the water, tentacles failing. They mercilessly tore the ship in half, splinters and debris flying everywhere.Will and Grace used the momentum of the falling mast to jump clear of the wreck into the water. They grabbed hold of a well-placed piece of wood and floated towards the Dutchman.

"What now?" She sputtered, trying to stay afloat. She could feel the sting of the salt water on her shoulder.

"What else? Swim!"

"But…" She drifted off and followed Will, trying to swim with one arm. Finally, he pulled her up to the head and they listened to the voices drifting down from the deck.

"Neither one are here. They must've been claimed by the sea.

"I _am_ the sea." Grace almost smiled at this. That was a great line.

"What of the survivors?"

"There aren't any survivors." The sound of the dead men hitting the water sent shivers down her spine. "The chest is no longer safe. Chart a course to Isla Cruces. Get me there first, or there'll be the devil to pay."

"First?"

"Who sent that thieving charlatan and that meddling child onto my ship? Who told them of the key? Jack Sparrow."

She realized that she was shaking slightly. She tried to calm herself and reached out with her mind. _"Please tell me you're still there. I owe you an apology. I'm sorry for doubting you. I know Jones stopped them from throwing be overboard because you told him to. Please, I need your help."_

"_Apology accepted. Yes, I believe you need a way to shore?"_

"_Do I ever."_

"_Do you trust me?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Just wait."_

_-----------------------------------------------_

Grace had nodded off, but was abruptly awakened by the numerous shouts of "Down!"

"Grace!" Will violently whispered. "I'm out of ideas!" It was not a second later that two brown lumps appeared in the water. "Are those….?"

"Sea turtles!" She jumped down into the water and grabbed the shell of one of them. _"Thank you." _She didn't receive a verbal response, but she could feel the spirit smile. Then she was gone. The subtle presence in the back of her mind had suddenly disappeared. Her part of the plotline was complete. She sat up on the turtle and felt the wind in her face as she shot towards shore. "I'm FREEEEEEEEEEE!"

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She's freeeeeeeeee! And so ends my plot detour. The next chapters, I'm afraid, won't be up as quick as these, given that I have to go back to school. I'll do my best, though!


	11. The Island of Hearts

TheOddOne/ Yes! Anywhoozels!

JeanieBeanie33/ Thank you! That's a wonderful idea! I hope you don't mind me using it.

Black-Raven3/ I got all flipped out and checked it, but it seemed fine to me. But thanks for being a new reviewer and all!

Estel Ashlee Snape/ Ah, yes. If only it were the only taste. God, scary.

ta1nt3d1uv/ I don't really mind school itself, it's the homework that I don't like. I mean, you sit through a whole day of people cramming things into your head and when it's finally over and you want to take a break, you can't since you have ten tons of homework sitting on the counter. But meh, that's only my opinion.

So, I really don't have much to say right about now... So read on, faithful reviwers, read on.

-----------------------------------------

"Jack!" He stood up to see who was calling him, only to be assaulted by the largest one-armed bear hug ever. As if he weren't surprised enough, she stepped back and smacked him across the face with her good arm as hard as she could (which was hard enough to give Ana Marie a run for her money).

"OW! What was that for?"

"That was for being SO DARN DRUNK, YOU ORDERED ME ONTO THE CLOSEST STUPID THING TO STUPID HECK ON EARTH! And for being sort of a jerk throughout this whole thing. Especially to Elizabeth."

"Oh." He looked down at her bloodstained shirt and the long slice over her face. "What the bloody heck happened to you? And I mean bloody quite literally."

"You know, the usual. Won a duel with the first mate of the Dutchman. It was pretty cool, actually."

Elizabeth looked around anxiously."Where is Will?"

"Don't worry, he's coming. I guess I ran pretty fast to get over here."

"Hullo?" Norrington waved his hand around.

"Ah! Hello Mr. Norrington! I hope-"

"Not you. I hit something."

"Humph. And I told Elizabeth to be nice to you." They gathered around the hole and brushed the chest off. The lock was very rusty and was easily broken. Inside, there were several letters and a smaller chest. Grace took one of the letters and read through it.

"That explains a lot." She saw that no one was paying any attention to her and slipped a large stack into her bag. They seemed like a good thing to have.

"It's real!"

Grace kneeled down and also put her ear to the chest. "Of course. You didn't think we came all this way for nothing, did you?"

"You actually _were_ telling the truth."

"I do that quite a lot. Yet people are always surprised."

Finally, Will appeared at the foot of a sand dune. "With good reason!"

"Will! You're alright! Thank God! I came to find you!" She pulled Will into a kiss and Grace nearly fell over laughing at the looks James and Jack gave each other.

"How did you get here?"

Will grinned and looked at Grace. "Sea turtles."

Jack laughed at the joke. "You sure about that, mate?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Pretty darn."

He was about to voice his disbelief, but Will cut him off. "But I do owe you thanks, Jack."

"You do?"

"Drunk or not, you still tricked me onto that ship to square your debt with Jones."

Elizabeth's eyes widened.** "**What?"

"What?"

Grace knew that the crew of the Dutchman was coming and they were running out of time. "We met his father, Bootstrap Bill. Great guy, actually."

"Oh! Well... you're welcome, then."

"Everything you said to me... every word, was a lie!"

"Well, not really every word. The chest is real, is it not?" She interjected.

Jack gave her a look. "Aye. Well, other than that, pretty much. Time and tide, love." Will stooped down and started to open the chest "Oy! What're you doing?"

"I'm gonna kill Jones."

She would have drawn her swords to stop him had it not been for Jack taking her place. Was she just being protective of Jones? Good Lord, surely that spirit must have messed with her head. "Can't let you do that, William. 'Cause if Jones is dead, who's to call his terrible beastie off the hunt, eh? Now. If you please: The key."

"Wait, If Davy died, the Kraken wouldn't really feel obligated to carry out any orders it may have received before, right?"

Will ignored her and drew Elizabeth's sword. "I keep the promises I make, Jack. I intend to free my father. I hope you're here to see it."

Now it was Norrington's turn to draw a sword, which he also pointed at Will. "I can't let you do that, either. So sorry."

"I knew you'd warm up to me eventually." This only made Norrington point his sword at Jack. "Lord Beckett desires the contents of that chest. I deliver it, and get my life back."

"Ah. The dark side of ambition."

Grace raised a finger. "Actually, I'd call it being a suck up. But that's just my opinion."

"Oh, I prefer to see it as the promise of redemption."

The three of them began to fight as they moved across the beach. Elizabeth wasn't happy. "Stop it! Will! Jack! HELLO?"

Will was the only one who answered her. "Guard the chest!"

The duel stopped, all eyes on her. "No!" They shrugged and continued fighting. "This is BARBARIC! This is NO way for grown men to settle… Oh! Fine! just PULL out our swords and start BANGING away at each other! THIS WILL SOLVE EVERYTHING! I've had it! I've had enough! Wobbly-legged, rum-soaked... PIRATES!" She began to curse throw rocks at them. Grace only rolled her eyes and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from throwing another stone.

"Elizabeth. Elizabeth! Stop, stop, stop. You're doing it wrong and you're acting like a sissy. Watch and learn." She waltzed up to them and pulled out her own sword, trying to get in the middle. "Will! Jack! James! Stop being stupid!" Instead, they just fought around her and Norrington hit her bad shoulder with the flat of his sword. She fell over and cried out in pain, realizing that the wound had opened up again. "NORRINGTON, YOU _JERK_! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM? I DEMAND AN APOLOGY! SOMEONE GET MY AGENT ON THE PHONE! Wait. They don't have phones in the 17th century, do they? And for that matter, are there even such things as agents?" She looked up, as if expecting an answer and saw Elizabeth pretend to faint. She walked back over to her and looked down into the sand. "Forget it. Boys will be boys and immature men will be immature men." They looked up, eyes following Pintel and Ragetti who were carrying the chest and giggling like little girls. "That was... Really freaky."

"Should we go stop them?"

"Definitely." With that, she followed Elizabeth inland toward the forest. In a particular dense bit, the two became separated. "Elizabeth! Elizabeth, where are you? Oh bugger." She caught sight of a flash and took off in that direction, screeching to a halt in time to see the wheel roll by, Jack running along side it. The four of them looked at each other. "That was uncalled for."

Pintel and Ragetti resumed advancing on Elizabeth. She gave a frantic look towards Grace." Sword!"

She drew Tui and threw it to Elizabeth. She gave a sly smirk to the two pirates. "Ha. And now we're unbeatable." An axe buried itself into a tree and a horde of fish-men burst through the underbrush. "And now we're not." They took off, trying to run and defend themselves at the same time. Ragetti's cutlass was wrenched from his grasp.

"Sword!" Pintel threw his to him and he deflected a blow.

"Sword!" Elizabeth in turn threw one to him.

"Swords!" She received one from both Grace and Ragetti with which she backhandedly stabbed two approaching crew members.

"Nice one!"

"Thanks!" They took off towards the beach, tossing swords and screaming the whole way.

----------------------------

Tada! I haven't even started writing the next chapter so it might be a few days. But I'll get to work on right now. Reviews, please! Even if you've never reviewed before and you only feel like typing a few words, all reviews are appreciated!


	12. I'm Not Kraken Chow!

From: TheOddOne/ Awesome. This would be your update! Tada!

NarnianPirate/ Yeah, I loved that part in the movie too!

Mulch Diggums/ Ah, but of course it counts...Sorta. Meh, sure it does. Why not?

Black-Raven3/ Heh, Grace is good at that. It's really fun to do. Maybe we should make a sport out of it! Join the NUEDA. The National Ultimate Ego Deflation Association! Oh yes, I can see it now.

Koneko the demon storyteller/ Yeah, it's a well known fact of life. Just goes to show you that girls are, in fact, better than boys!

Estel Ashlee Snape/ Well, you telling me that I made your day made _my_ day... And it made me dance and giggle like a mad little 6 year old, but that's not the point. Well, I guess it is. Anyhow, your review made me feel good!

My brother was watching Spongebob yesterday and there was this episode with a pirate-ghost thingy. His name was the Flying Dutchman, so whenever he'd appear he was like, "Beware! Ah am the Flyin' Dutchman!" And it made me laugh. Heh.

---------------------------------

Splashing into the shallows, the foursome fought their way towards the longboat. Maccus was at the head of the opposing group. "You! You're supposed to be dead!" He growled and brandished his cutlass.

She came extremely close to stealing Jack's line, but refrained. "Oh, come now, I already beat you once."

Elizabeth stabbed another fish-man. "_That's_ the guy you beat?"

She dodged a blow and sliced off one of the crab legs on his back. "Absolutely! Twice if you count that right there." The fighting stopped as the wheel came crashing down the beach, tottered in the shallows and fell on its side. Eyes from both sides went from the church on the hill to the wheel and back again. "Dude…" The break in the silence brought on a new wave of fighting. She made her way to the boat as Norrington was stuffing the heart into his pocket. She was about to say something but he interrupted her.

"What, are you going to try and stop me?"

"Actually, I was about to say that you should be very careful with that. Extremely fragile." He gave her a strange look and ran off as Will came over. He noticed the key in the lock and went to say something but she cut him off. "Hey, don't look at me." He was about to reply when Jack swung the oar around and hit one of the Dutchman crew, knocking out Will in the process. Elizabeth ran over to him but Jack held her back.

"Leave him lie!"

"Unless you plan on using him to hit something with." Grace finished.

Elizabeth spun around. "We're not getting out of this."

"Not with the chest. Into the boat." Norrington picked it up.

"You're mad!"

"Don't wait for me." With that, he ran off with it, taking the crew of the Dutchman with him.

Jack jumped into the longboat. "Uh, I say we respect his final wish."

There came several shouts of 'Aye!' and everyone piled in. They all chattered anxiously except for Will and Grace. The former because he was out cold and the latter because she was deep in a reflective trance. Mainly because she really, _really_ didn't want to have to deal with the Kraken again. When they reached the ship, she came to her senses and dumped a bucket of water on Will, who jerked awake. "What happened to the chest?

"Norrington took it to draw them off."

"Oh." It was quiet as the three wondered what had happened to the former Commodor. Too quiet.

The Flying Dutchman suddenly burst out of the water, spraying water everywhere. "Shoot." The crew's of both ships raced to their recpectful railings, most cursing and threataning each other. In the chaos, her eyes locked with Jones' and she saw first surprise, and then sheer fury. "Jack…" Her voice wavered. "We have a problem!"

She looked up at the captain, who was calmly strutting towards the stairs. "I'll handle this, mate." He called out to the opposing ship. "Hey! Fishface! Lose something?" He waved the jar around. "Come to negotiate, you git? Look what I got! I got a of dirt! I got a jar of dirt! And guess what's inside it?" He took a plunging step down the stairs and the jar lurched from his grasp. It only took a millisecond for Grace to realize he couldn't catch it. She made a leaping dive and caught it safely in her outstretched arms. She stood up and grinned sheepishly. "Heh. I- I got it!"

"Enough!" Jones nodded to his crew and they pulled out the ship's cannons.

Jack didn't even flinch. "Hard to starboard."

"Hard to starboard!"

"Brace up the foreyard!"

The ship rocked violently as a cannonball tore through the stern, destroying Jack's quarters. The ship sailed away at top speed, cannonballs still pelting the deck. Grace shouted up to Jack. "Hard to starboard, they're bringing out the triple guns!" The ship made another sudden turn and a cannonball broke one of the lanterns, just missing Gibbs.

Elizabeth leaned over the edge. "She's falling behind!"

"Aye, and we've got her!

"We're the faster?" Gibbs seemed a bit preoccupied, so Grace took his place. "The Dutchman manipulates the currents so it can easily sail against the wind. That's how she catches her prey. But with the wind…"

"We rob her advantage."

"Exactly."

Marty turned away from the railing. "They're giving up!" The crew cheered but Will merely scowled at Jack.

"My father is on that ship. If we can outrun her, we can take her. We should turn and fight."

"Why fight when you can negotiate? All one needs... is the proper leverage."

The jar of dirt fell off the railing and smashed on the deck. Grace raised an eyebrow. "Which we don't have."

"We must've hit the reef!"

Both she and Will dashed to the sides. "No. It's not a reef! Get away from the rail!"

"They've called the Kraken! Everyone get a gun… Or at least something pointy!"

Will shouted out some orders as the tentacles began to wrap around the hull. "Easy, boys!" The ship creaked ominously. "Steady! Steady."

"Er, Will. Signal please!"

"Hold. Hold..."

"Do I look like fish food to you?"

They heard Elizabeth shout from above."Will!"

"Fire!"

She plugged her ears as the ship rocked with cannon fire. The tentacles receded and the crew cheered, save for Will, Grace and Elizabeth. "It'll be back. We have to get off the ship."

"The boats are all destroyed."

Grace shielded her eyes from the sun and casually peered out over the water. "Except for that one that Jack's rowing away in."

"What?" Elizabeth ran the rail and furrowed her eyebrows. "Oh, you coward."

Grace ducked below deck and Will gave her a worried look. "Only six kegs of powder." She thought a moment.

"Load the rum!" All activity stopped. "Either load the rum or die, mates. Your choice." She went topside again, frantically trying to think of the safest spot. It had been so long since she had seen the movie. She scurried off to find Pintel and Ragetti, who, as she remembered, had made it out ok. If only she had paid better attention! Another heavy thud hit the ship.

"Not good." The netting filled with explosives was hauled into the air, the tension in the air bursting as the Kraken reared up again. She drew her swords as she and the two pirates regrouped in the now ruined captain's quarters. There came a scream and Elizabeth came crashing across the floor, tentacle wrapped around her leg. Without thinking, Grace brought Tui down and severed the tentacle and Elizabeth raced off again. "Did I just save Elizabeth's life? Pintel nodded and axed another appendage. She grinned. "Cool." A few moments later there came a second explosion from the deck. All of the survivors appeared on deck to see the Kraken slither beneath the waves.

"We're not out of this yet. Captain! Orders!"

"Abandon ship. Into the longboat."

Before Gibbs could argue, she broke the conversation, voice downcast. "What's the point of a ship if you're dead? What's the point of trying to fight, when it's impossible to win?" She lowered her eyes, knowing what was to come next. "What's the point of trying to prevent the predetermined?"

He was surprised, as this pessimistic comment had just come from the biggest optimist in the Caribbean. "The missy's right. Abandon ship. Abandon ship or abandon hope."

Grace followed the group to the longboat and then faltered. She turned on her heel and gave Jack a hug, this time without the slap. "You've been so kind to me. Thank you." With that, she went to go help load the boat, not once looking back. Elizabeth sat down next to her within a few minutes.

"Where's Jack?"

"He elected to stay behind to give us a chance." Without another question, the longboat cast off, deserting Jack and the precious Pearl, although Jack was more precious than the ship. At least to her.

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Good Lord, this took me forever. I don't knnow why this chapter was so hard to write... But meh, school's started. This year's going to croak me. So, one more chapter left! Review while you still can. No, I'm not talking to my faithful reviewers, I'm talking to the 50+ people on the hit count. Seriously, every single review is welcome. More than welcome, in fact!


	13. I Will Remember You

Black-Raven3/ Yes, Grace is a blast to write. I try to think up all the the witty remarks and sarcastic remarks possible, stick them in, add a touch of sympathy and maternal instincts and VIOLA! You have Grace.

TheOddOne/ No, I didn't like that part either. I was just like: "...OMG... That didn't just happen."

Captain Raven Roth/ Yes I certainly am! I put more info on the bottom Author's Note.

Koneko the demon storyteller/ You don't get lockers? That's horrible. And yes, my friend told me about that this morning. I laughed my head off, but then I got mad at her for making fun of Will. She's a Sparrabeth supporter and I'm not, so we argue a lot.

PirateAngel1286/ Awesome. No, Grace hasn't gotten her last laugh just yet.

Mulch Diggums/ It will definately be interesting to see what they do without Jack. I mean, he _was_ the one who put the 'comedy' tag on POTC.

Janet Tripper/ Yes, poor Grace. You'll see how she reacts.

JeanieBeanie33/ Actually, I think I might just do that. Seriously. And you think Grace got a lot of lines? I was worried that she didn't have enough!

Estel Ashlee Snape/ Yay! You're feeling better makes me feel better too.

And now, the anticipated (tcha, I wish) last chapter. Oh, boo... For it ending, I mean. Erm.. **So reviews are still appreciated!** Even if you'd never reviewed before, it would make me so happy if you'd at least tell me you read it.

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All that was left was everyone from the original crew. Everyone except Jack that is. They rowed through the bayou, a train of candles lighting the way. Each flame sent a long, dancing shadow against the trees. It was as if the swamp was crying too. Grace knew she would see him again, but it barely lifted her spirits. They tied up the boats and entered Tia's shack, but there was no need to tell her what had happened. Somehow she already knew.

Grace gratefully accepted a cup pf tea and sat down on a piano bench. She absentmindedly fiddled with the silver locket, still clutching her cup for comfort. The heart-shaped lid lifted, and the soft melody cut the still air. Tia Dalma gave her a warning glare, and she set the locket back down again. "Sorry." It was quiet once again as the witchdoctor brought drinks around. The sound of Gibb's voice broke her thoughts. "Aye. And already the world seems a bit less bright. He fooled us all right to the end. But I guess that honest streak finally won out. To Jack Sparrow!"

Ragetti lifted his mug. "Never another like Captain Jack."

Pintel did the same. "He was a gentleman of fortune, he was."

All eyes turned to Elizabeth. "He was a good man."

Now Grace knew it was her turn. "Loved 'im like a father." The group nodded. "To Jack!" Everyone took a sip and was silent. Grace ran her fingers over the keys of the small piano she was sitting at. It seemed… Familiar. Only certain keys were worn, as if the player had only played one song, over and over. She placed her teacup to the side and began playing. Prehaps it was because music always brought her inner peace, or because the song she had in mind fit the situation too perfectly to ignore. But either way, it was something she needed to do. Her voice carried through the shack, audible, but neither disturbing the silence.

_I will remember you  
Will you remember me?  
Don't let your life pass you by  
Weep not for the memories…_

_I'm so tired, but I can't sleep.  
Standin' on the edge of something much too deep.  
It's funny how we feel so much but we cannot say a word.  
We are screaming inside, we can't be heard. _

I will remember you.  
Will you remember me?  
Don't let your life pass you by.  
Weep not for the memories.

I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to lose.  
Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose.  
Once there was a darkness, deep and endless night.  
Gave me everything he had, oh he gave me life.

And I will remember you  
Will you remember me?  
Don't let your life pass you by  
Weep not for…

_...The memories._

She mulled the words over and the silence came down like a heavy blanket. Looking up, she saw that everyone was staring at her, tears in most eyes. "Alright." She stood up and raised her voice. "I know our spirits have been dampened, our hearts heavy with the death of a great friend. But sitting around never did anyone any good. We need action! So enough of this! Everyone get up of your sorry butt; We're going to find a way to go save Jack!"

The former crewmembers was taken aback by her outburst, but Tia smiled and took her cue. "Would you do it? Hmmm? What would you do? Hmmm? What would _any_ of you be willing to do? Would you sail to the ends of the eart', and beyond, to fetch back witty Jack and 'im precious Pearl?" There were numerous 'Aye's and one 'Yes'.

"Alright. But if you're goin' brave de weird, and haunted shores, at world's end, den..."

With a radiant smirk, she turned to Tia Dalma. "We shall need a captain! One who knows his way through said haunted shores. Dear Tia," Her smirk grew to a beaming grin. "I can think of only one such man." She put her hands on her hips, looking up towards the stairwell, all eyes following her gaze. As he descended the stairs, she grabbed an apple off the table and tossed it in his direction. Barbossa caught it neatly in one hand and took a large bite.

"So… What's become of my ship?"

The girl grinned at the reactions of her friends. The adventure ahead would be dangerous and trying, but she looked foreword to it with brimming anticipation. Besides, she would have it no other way. Here in the Caribbean, it was always "Another day, another adventure."

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What's this? I'm done? Oh noes! Well, as soon as the third movie comes out, you may expect another. Not only that, but I might revise this one so that it fits perfectly with AWE. So check back! In the meantime, check out my other POTC fic; I have some pretty randome ones waiting in the wings. Until later! TTTFN! Ta ta for now!

-SCREECH-

Oh, wait! One more thing! I'd like to thank Estel Ashlee Snape and Mulch Diggums, who reviewed I think, like, every single chapter! And also thanks to everyone else who reviewed; You made me feel good! _Now_, TTFN!


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